Smug Marrieds II
by parttimeficwriter
Summary: Still settling into married life Harry and Ruth have an unexpected house guest. Theres is a lot more to it than that but I don't want to spoil the surprise!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well the inevitable happened and I folded like a napkin and agreed to write a sequel. If you need a time frame I imagine that this is set roughly a year after the last one. I promise it will get better than this and I actually have a pre-planned plot this time! **

**Dedication: Happy Birthday Tas! **

* * *

Harry smiled to himself as the phone was answered on the second ring. After spending the last three hours stuck in a meeting with the other section heads, whilst Debra Langham bored them all to tears with HR's latest policies, all he wanted to do was go home and spend some time with Ruth.

Not giving her a chance to say anything, let alone hello, he began to speak.

"I've spent the last three hours thinking about what I want to do to you when we get home, so put your coat on and meet me at the car in five minutes."

Expecting to hear her outraged-but-secretly-pleased voice, he was unprepared for the cough that flowed down the phone line, followed by the decidedly masculine tones of Adam Carter.

"Tempting offer though it is Harry, I doubt your wife would be best pleased if she found out."

"Adam."

"Harry." The younger male made no attempt to hide the amusement in his voice at having caught his boss unawares. "Interesting meeting was it?!"

"Where's Ruth?"

"Ah, the male one track mind strikes again..."

"Adam." A definite note of warning sounded and, although still grinning and plotting to tell the others about this when he got to the pub, the blonde spook heeded the implied threat and tried to be serious for a moment.

"I've no idea where she is. All she said was something about an emergency and having to go and see Natalie. She said to tell you not to worry and to give her a ring."

Puzzled and slightly worried, Harry ended the call and rang Ruth's mobile number. Not wanting a repeat of the last couple of minutes, he waited until he heard her voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi," she breathed, as if she was almost relieved to see it was him calling her.

"Hi, everything alright?" he cocked his head to one side as he tried to figure out where she was by listening to the background noise. Wherever it was, it was busy and there were a lot of children there.

"Yes, er well, something has happened but I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. Listen; I'll explain when I get home...hang on a second Harry..." straining to hear what was going on he pressed the phone harder against his ear but wasn't able to make out what was being said or what was going on.

There was a slight scuffling noise as she moved the phone about, before he heard her voice again.

"Sorry."

"Ruth, where on Earth are you?"

"McDonalds – don't ask me why. I thought it would be a good idea but it wasn't. I'm not sure I'm cracked up for this job..."

_Job? What job? _Harry had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, why she was suddenly in McDonalds or who she was with. In fact, he didn't think he had ever been so thoroughly confused by Ruth before.

"Ruth, what the hell is going on? I have no idea what you're talking about and I can't help if I don't know what's happening."

"We're having a house guest for a while. Natalie had to fly out to New York because her father has been taken to hospital and she doesn't know how long she's going to be, so she asked me if we'd mind looking after Alfie...oh God, I have to go Harry there seems to be a BBQ sauce incident. We'll be home soon, I promise."

Before he could utter a word, the line had gone dead and he was left stood in the middle of the street listening to a dialling tone. Satisfied that she wasn't injured or in danger of any kind, he resolved to go home and wait for her to arrive. He wasn't quite sure how long Alfie would be with them. The three year old was Ruth's God son - the closest thing she had to a nephew - and she loved him dearly, even if she didn't get to see him as much as she would like to. He imagined she had jumped at the chance to have Alfie stay with them for a couple of days and it seemed that he still had a knack of wrapping Ruth around his little finger if the trip to McDonalds was anything to go by.

An hour later, a slightly frazzled Ruth and a small boy with a mop of dark curly hair, green eyes and a butter-wouldn't-melt smile, walked through the door.

"Harry?"

He appeared in the hallway, smiling as Alfie pulled his hand from hers and launched himself towards where Harry was standing. Bending down, he scooped the little boy up and said 'hello', chuckling as Alfie hugged him briefly before making an enthusiastic request.

"Can we play dinosaurs uncle Harry?!"

"I think we can for a little while." He lowered Alfie to the floor. "You know where they are. I'll be there in a minute."

He watched Alfie momentarily as he headed off to find the toys they kept at the house for him, before refocusing his attention on the woman standing at the other end of the hallway. He offered her a loving smile as he made his way towards her, whispering 'hello' seconds before pulling her into his arms and kissing her briefly.

"Hello to you too," she murmured when he released her.

The sound of a toy box being overturned shattered their intimate moment.

"I think that's my cue."

"Yes, I think so. I'll go and run the bath and make his bed up, can't leave him covered in sauce and with nowhere to sleep!"

Ten minutes later, she followed the loud noises and found them both sitting on the living room floor, wielding plastic dinosaurs and roaring at each other. What the exact nature of the game was, she couldn't be sure but it was incredibly amusing to watch, even if it did assault her ear drums. She laughed as Alfie halted the game to solemnly inform Harry that he wasn't doing it properly. She loved to see how well Harry interacted with children; he always put his fathering abilities down, but she could see that he adored kids and demonstrated a patience that not many would believe him capable of.

Making her presence known to both of them, she declared it was bath time for Alfie and whisked him off upstairs before he could protest properly. Leaving them to it, Harry tidied the toys away before deciding to go out to the car and bring Alfie's bag in.

Noting the size of the suitcase and bag that were stuffed into the boot of her car, he began to wonder just how long they would be a makeshift family for.

* * *

**_Slightly strange but fun pea competition: _**

****

**_As you know (or will know by the time you finish reading the above), Em and I both have child related fics on the go and have decided to create a pea cannon – i.e. our own fictional truths with hold in both our stories. A dedication of the next chapter of SMII and A Sense of Duty to the first person to spot what we have done. NB, it may help to refer to Chapter 5 of Em's fic. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**I would like to point out right now that I have made up the suspected terror group - also I mean no offence to Welsh people. **

**Thanks to Em for the beta and to Helen for letting me ask her endless questions about life with a three year old boy!**

* * *

Their first weekend playing happy families passed with relative ease. Harry and Ruth were both thankful that neither of them had been called in to work, wanting to make sure that Alfie was as settled as possible. He seemed to be happy enough and babbled excitedly about going to see the dinosaurs to his Mum when she rang to check on him.

Ruth had assured Natalie that he was being very well behaved and that looking after him really wasn't any trouble. Being married to the boss had its advantages as she and Harry were able to figure out how to fit her work around Alfie's schedule.

Monday morning however, was something of a struggle. Exhausted from lack of sleep thanks to sharing a bed with a three year old after he had had a nightmare, Ruth wasn't in the best of moods. How on earth a child could wriggle so much in their sleep, she would never know. It was amazing how someone so small could take up so much room and inflict so much discomfort all in one go. His little elbows had been a constant source of annoyance all night and she had considered trying to move him across the bed at one point, as she teetered on the edge of the mattress, but had thought better of it just in case it woke him up again.

Harry had woken her at 7am to tell her that he had been called into work, leaving her to sort Alfie out for school. By the time she had managed to get him fed, washed and dressed in his school uniform, she was ready to tear her hair out. Never again would she laugh at Natalie when she told stories of how stubborn the little boy could be. It had taken her fifteen minutes to coax him into wearing socks and shoes and, in the end, she has stopped trying to be nice and had bundled him on to her knee and wrestled his tiny feet in to the offending garment so that they could leave.

--

Ruth helped Alfie find his coat peg before taking his hand and walking into the classroom. Spotting a young, dark haired woman stood in the middle of the room, who she assumed was the teacher, Ruth made her way over to introduce herself.

"Hello, I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Ruth Evershed, Alfie's God Mother...we spoke on the phone?"

"Oh! It's very nice to meet you. I'm Emma, I'm the teaching assistant. I think you're looking for Miss Stevens." The young woman scanned the classroom and then pointed to a woman in her mid-thirties who was sat in the corner talking to two little girls. "That's her over there."

"Oh right! Sorry, I'm a bit new to all of this. It's been quite the morning!"

"Ah, I think I understand. It's no problem. Alfie and I can go and play with some of the others whilst you talk to Miss Stevens if you like?"

Ruth gave the petite brunette a grateful smile as she offered Alfie her hand and led him over to the sand pit. She watched them start to play in the sand for a few moments before she made her way over to the corner. Ten minutes later, Ruth was ready to leave and wandered over to Alfie to say goodbye but was taken aback when he clung to her coat and asked her to stay. She stooped to kiss him on the forehead and told him that she would be back to pick him up later, which was when he started to cry. Panic stricken, she attempted to placate him at the same time as removing her coat from the clutches of his balled fists. His grip was surprisingly strong - short of prising his fingers away individually she was at a loss as what to do. Her bag fell off of her shoulder and thudded to the floor as she continued to play tug of war with him and she could feel the annoyance and embarrassment spreading thought her body, wishing that everyone would stop looking at her. In truth, however, no-one was paying a great deal of attention to the scene as it played out before them, it being a familiar occurrence in the nursery class. She was extremely grateful when Emma stepped in and distracted the young boy by pointing out that his friend had arrived. Instantly, Ruth was forgotten about as Alfie trotted off to the other side of the room without so much as a backwards glance.

"Like I said –I'm new to this!" she stated with a slight blush and a bashful smile.

"I wouldn't worry about it; the first goodbye always seems to be more traumatic for the parents than for the child. Look..." she pointed over to where Alfie was sat playing with another little boy "he's absolutely fine now."

"Well, I'd better make a dash for the exit whilst I still can then. Thanks for your help."

--

It was almost ten o'clock by the time she made it on to the Grid and it felt strange waiting for the Pods to open and seeing everyone else already there and hard at work. She wondered if people would comment on the lateness of her arrival, then dismissed the thought realising that Harry would have most likely explained her absence. She hadn't even made it to her desk before she was accosted by Adam.

"Thank God you're here."

"Why what's wrong?"

"Harry's in a foul mood. So bad that he's already fired Zaf twice this morning and made Jo cry. I have no idea what's wrong with him although I suspect it has something to do with Juliet's unannounced visit earlier."

"You mean you haven't spoken to him?"

The tall blonde offered her a dazzling smile. "Do I look mad to you?"

Shooting him a dirty look, she wandered over to her desk and dropped her bag on to it with a sigh. A glance at Harry's office showed her that the blinds were shut, which in her experience was never a good sign. Knowing that, even if she wasn't married to him, that it would have been left up to her to try and sort his mood out, she hurried across the grid to his office, yanked the door open and swept inside.

Not moving his scowling face from looking at the computer screen in front to of him, Harry addressed the newcomer with a growl.

"What part of _do not disturb_ don't you understand?"

"Well, I was late, so I didn't get the memo."

Her soft spoken voice was instantly recognisable to him and he turned to face her, his features softening slightly as he looked at her.

"What did she do now?" Ruth asked.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily before answering.

"She's recommended the release of Mason Griffiths. The PM and Home secretary are under immense pressure from the media and the public to release him. The fact that he has links to The Welsh Liberation Front is apparently meaningless."

"When?"

"Later today. I want a briefing in an hour. Jo and Zaf are already working on a list of known associates, I need you to put a briefing item together and to talk to Special Branch."

"Right." She nodded briefly before leaning over his desk, catching him off guard, and giving him a brief but passionate kiss.

"W-what was that for?" his attempt at not smiling didn't seem to be working very well.

"To lighten your mood – perhaps that way you won't attempt to fire any more of your staff!"

"I'm not making any promises." His soft smile belied is tone "Especially if anymore idiotic references are made to being gay in a village – whatever the hell that means."

The sound of her soft laughter lingered in his office as she left.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Amazingly enough some of the plot has started! You'll have to bare with me though because it's going to be a long one I think! Once again I mean no offence to all things Welsh. _**

**_Thanks Em x_**

The briefing began as soon as Ruth had finished passing out the recently compiled briefing booklets.

"As you are all aware by now, the Home Secretary intends to release Mason Griffiths this afternoon. This decision was taken against my advice and urging but, with the election coming up; the PM is pandering to the whim of the people. I believe that Griffiths has the ability and the desire to inflict terror upon us and, as such, his release is not to be taken lightly." Zaf had the sense to look sheepish at that remark. "Officially, Special Branch are the ones that will be keeping an eye on Mr Griffiths, so Ruth will be liaising with them daily."

"And unofficially?"

"Glad you asked Mr Younis. How is your Welsh?"

"Er, well...it could be better, Harry, to tell you the truth. All I know about Wales is that they have a lot of sheep..." Zaf paused and looked at Ruth "and that St David's day is in March."

Ruth smiled at the shared memory of their first meeting; things had certainly changed since then.

"You'd best buy yourself a phrase book then, because I want you and Adam to keep tabs on Griffiths and The Welsh Liberation Front. I don't trust Special Branch not to cock it up."

Harry gave a brief nod at Ruth and she started to take them through the briefing items.

"Griffiths was imprisoned three months ago for arson. He was convicted of setting fire to a number of holiday homes in the Gwynedd region of Wales. Arson attacks of this type had happened in the same area and throughout Wales in the 80's and an organisation calling itself Meibion Glyndwr – meaning Sons of Glyndwr – claimed responsibility. No-one was ever caught for the spate of attacks but they ceased after a family of four died as a result of one of the fires. Griffiths was questioned at the time but could never be fully linked to the murders. He was, however, linked with others who had left Plaid Cymru after arguing that more force was needed in getting their political message across, but there was never enough evidence to prove that they were the members of Meibion Glyndwr."

She paused and consulted her notes. "When the attacks started up again, Griffiths was the main suspect early on, and local Police kept him under covert surveillance. His activities were indeed suspicious and they arrested him just prior to torching a cottage. It should have been an open and shut case, Griffiths was caught red handed - they had him on camera attempting to set the place alight."

"So what was the problem?"

"The officers conducting the surveillance had neglected to get their relevant authorisation on their paperwork as per the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act," Ruth answered, quietly.

"Hang on, a man commits a series of crimes and gets let off because no one signed a piece of paper?!" Jo asked, incredulously.

"In essence, yes. It didn't come to light until after the trial but Griffiths solicitor has very shrewdly argued that the investigation was unlawful and, as a result, so was the conviction. It doesn't matter that they have hard evidence showing him in the process of committing a crime – it's inadmissible as evidence and its existence is a breach of Griffiths' Human Rights." Ruth paused and checked her notes briefly. "Without the surveillance tape, all the other evidence is circumstantial at best. The materials Griffiths had with him on the night of his arrest were not a forensic match for the accelerants used in the other three fires. The Modus Operandi that Griffiths used was different to that used in all the other arson attacks and he has an alibi for the first three fires. The Home Secretary didn't have much of a choice really."

"Who provided the alibi?"

"Cayden Fletcher."

"As in the founder of The Welsh Liberation Front? That Cayden Fletcher?"

"One and the same." It was Harry that answered. "This is why Mason Griffiths is a lot more interesting to us now. I think it's safe to assume that The Welsh Liberation Front was behind the recent spate of arson attacks. Not only that, I think they're planning something much bigger. We have virtually no intel on this group and since Wales suddenly has the Nation's attention there might be no time like the present for this group. Adam, Zaf, find us something to work with."

With that, Harry called the meeting to an end; they all still had a lot of work to do. Quickly, they all gathered their things and began to file out of the briefing room. Ruth was the last to leave and she smiled at Zaf as he held the door open for her.

"Any chance if I buy you lunch that you'll go over a few bits and pieces with me before I have to leave?"

Rolling her eyes at him at his attempt to look helpless, she answered, much to his amusement, with his own words. "Lead on Blodwyn."

---

By the time Harry strolled back onto the Grid, both Adam and Zaf had departed on their assignments and Griffiths had been released. Ruth was seated at her desk watching the impromptu press conference that Griffiths and his solicitor were holding. He could hear her muttered commentary on the proceedings as he approached her, and it warmed him to know that she didn't like Griffiths' release any more than he did.

"I didn't think you'd still be here."

She looked up, startled at his sudden appearance. "Why wouldn't I be...Shit! Alfie!" she hurriedly grabbed her coat and bag and rushed through the Grid, Harry following close behind "Why didn't you remind me sooner?!"

"I wasn't here!"

"Right, yes, ok. Sorry."

She bundled herself into one of the pods, blew him a kiss as she waited for the doors to stop moving and then rushed out, trying to figure out the quickest way to get to Alfie's school.

By the time she arrived, she was almost forty-five minutes late and the classroom was eerily empty apart from the two figures huddled together at the far side of the room.

"Alfie?"

The small boy and his companion looked up as she approached them. From where she was stood, Ruth could see they were doing something that involved glitter because Alfie's face was covered in it. It was almost as if he had tried to eat it.

"Hi. We were just making a _Get Well Soon_ card for Alfie's granddad." The pretty, young teaching assistant explained.

"I'm very sorry I'm so late...I would have called to let you know but..."

"Oh that's ok. Your husband rang and explained." Emma felt her cheeks burning as she remembered the sexy deep voice on the other end of the phone, not too long ago.

"Oh good. I hope it wasn't too much trouble?"

"No, not at all. Lynn – that's Miss Stevens – had to go to a meeting so I said I'd stay with Alfie until you arrived."

"Well I really appreciate it, thank you so much. Shall we post your card on the way home Alfie?"

There was an enthusiastic little nod from the boy and Emma helped tidy him up so that they could leave. Laden with his bag and coat, that he didn't want to put on, Ruth started to lead him out of the room, smiling at him trying to walk backwards and wave to Emma at the same time.

"See you tomorrow, Alfie."

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**A review would be lovely.**


	4. Chapter 4

**_It's been a while but I managed to get round to writing this next installment! Hopefully the next one won't take me as long!_**

**_Thanks to Em _**

* * *

As the briefing came to an end it could be seen from both Adam and Zaf's contributions via secure video phone link that both men were less than thrilled with the prospect of spending another week in Wales. So far a week and a half's worth of observations had provided minimal new information on either subject. Unless, as Zaf pointed out, that knowing exactly how many times a day Mason picked his nose was important they had very little to go on. The resulting glare from Harry signalled the end of the briefing and they all filed out going back to their various tasks for the day.

It wasn't until later in the afternoon that a short but intense phone call had Ruth scuttling across the grid and barging straight into Harry's meeting with Debra Langham, something for which she was sure he would be thankful for.

"Harry..."

"Tell me you have good news?"

"I have good news, would you like to follow me?" she offered a weak smile at Debra as they both rushed out of the office, leaving the middle aged HR woman at a complete loss.

Harry called across the Grid to the others and they obediently followed their boss and a rather excited analyst into the meeting room.

"I just got a call from South Wales Police Force to say that they have had an ANPR hit on a vehicle of interest to us..."

"ANPR?" Jo queried

"Automatic Number Plate Recognition. Basically it's a camera that reads the registration plates of passing vehicles and cross references the number plate with both the Police National Computer and the DVLA database. It's a very smart, effective piece of equipment and lots of city centres have them installed on the CCTV circuits. In fact..."

"So what has it recognised?" Harry cut across Malcolm's ramble, impatient to get to the point. This was the lucky break they had been waiting for, he knew it.

"Right well, South Wales just got a hit on a vehicle that has interest markers to us and the police. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle it failed to stop and they are currently in pursuit. We don't know who the occupants are but we do know that the vehicle is registered to Cayden Fletcher's daughter, who is in America for three months on a student exchange so it most definitely isn't her driving."

"This might just be the break we need. Malcolm, I want to be patched in to their radio so we can hear what's going on. Jo, contact Adam and Zaf and fill them in, tell them to be ready to liaise with the police down there. Ruth get me the Chief Constable of South Wales on a secure line."

Nodding they all eagerly sprung into action and did as they were bid and the Grid fast became a hive of activity. By the time Harry has finished on the phone with the Chief Constable, Malcolm had the comms link up and running. Not only were they able to hear the pursuit in full but thanks to Malcolm's foresight they could also watch the action live via a CCTV link.

They watched as a marked police vehicle followed the black Vauxhall Corsa at an excessive speed through the city centre, weaving in and out of traffic and causing pedestrians to jump back onto pavements as both cars came hurtling past.

"Whisky Delta 23 to control."

"Whisky Delta 23 go ahead."

"Suspects taking a left, left onto the bypass. Suggest RV point for other units at the roundabout over."

"120, that's received. Whisky Delta 14 and Whisky Delta 30 did you get that?"

The sounds of sirens being started filtered through the radio as both units responded and made their way to the rendezvous point. In a matter of minutes the suspect vehicle was hurtling over the roundabout to then be followed by 3 traffic cars. The traffic was beginning to thin out on the bypass partly due to it being a quieter part of the day and partly due to the sirens and flashing lights causing people to pull over quickly and get out of the way.

"Control to Whisky Delta 23, 14 and 30. Authority granted for vehicle to be stopped, containment tactics to commence. X-ray Alpha 99 is airborne and will assist over. "

The screen flickered and the CCTV images were replaced by the live feed from the Force Helicopter, giving them a bird's eye view of the action. Suddenly on screen the rear traffic car of the convoy pulled out and overtook the car in front which tagged on behind as soon as his colleague had passed, together they pressed forward until one car was along side the offending vehicle and one car eased in front of it, effectively boxing it in and leaving it nowhere to pull out. It was obvious that this manoeuvre had been practised to a smooth precision and as they brought the vehicles to a safe stop, no one appeared surprised when the pilot announced that two male suspects were now making a run for it.

The officers on the ground that had been prepared for this eventuality and gave chase on foot through the field to the side of the carriageway. The radios were silent for a few moments until someone shouted up that both suspects had been apprehended and handcuffed. Both were arrested for the traffic offense of failing to stop but the excitement came as a preliminary search of the vehicle was conducted.

"Whisky Delta 14 to control."

"Go ahead."

"Whisky Delta 14 requesting recovery of the vehicle and SOCO to attend. There's a large quantity of accelerants in the rear of the vehicle and a map that looks to be taking these gentleman to a holiday home not too far away. Over."

"Whisky Delta 14 that's received."

---

Within moments of the find Adam was speeding towards Police HQ having being told by Ruth that he was to liaise with the Counter Terrorist Officers based there and to lead a joint interview of the suspects. By the time he had arrived and was met by one of his Police counterparts, Ruth and her analysts had started working on gathering everything they new about the two teens now in custody. He was confident that she would find a link between them and the Welsh Liberation Front. In the meantime he prepared himself for the inevitable battle over jurisdiction, as he was lead into an office where he was met by the sight of a petite brunette swearing at her computer screen.

"Ma'am. He's here."

"Ok Gavin, thanks. Go find out if they been processed yet will you?"

The young Detective Constable gave an eager nod and a 'yes Guv' as he walked out, closing the door behind him. Adam was surprised at how he enjoyed the way her eyes swept over him, appraising him before she spoke.

"I'm not going to piss you about with crap about this is our collar and not yours. Far as I'm concerned we're on the same side and we want these bastards stopped as much as you do."

So far this was shaping up to be his most pleasant liaison with a Police Officer to date. "Glad to hear it. I wouldn't want to get in a fight with you." He offered her a relaxed smile and sat down opposite her. "I'm Adam by the way."

"I'm Beth."

"Well Beth, care to fill me in on what info you've got regarding our suspects?"

"You show me yours, and I'll show you mine Adam."

**_A review would make me very happy and willing to write more._**


	5. Chapter 5

**OMG I managed to finally update this! The next chapter won't take so long I promise and will be more eventful than this one!**

* * *

"We're working on it." He held his hands up to appease her before she launched a torrent of abuse in his direction. "That's not flannel. It's the truth. We haven't come across these two before in this operation. I'm fairly sure it won't take them long to find something though."

Beth let out a soft breath and he was aware she was weighing him up. It took a lot of effort on his part not to squirm under her scrutiny and he gave her points for making him feel this uncomfortable. Eventually she slid a small file across the desk. As he opened it and looked at the custody picture of the acne ridden male, she brought him up to speed on what they knew about both suspects.

"Both lads have previous for minor offences, bit of shop lifting, drunk and disorderly that sort of thing. Rhys Johnson..." she leant over and tapped the picture on the top left hand side of the file. "20 yrs old, lives at home with his over-protective Mother who thinks the sun shines out of his backside. Not only is he a crap shoplifter, he's a total Mummy's boy that cries as soon as the cuffs get slapped on. Not your average terrorist, I doubt he knows the difference between a Big Mac and a bomb."

"So what's he doing in the middle of all this?"

"My guess is that he's trying to get in with the big boys. He has no political agenda that we know of; he's not been on any of our watch lists and to be perfectly honest I don't think he's going to be much use to us."

"I agree. He's not shaping up to be the brains behind anything is he?" He blew out a frustrated breath; this arrest was getting them nowhere so far.

"Still doesn't mean we can't have some fun finding out what he might know." She paused, checked her watch and offered him her most charming smile. "Another hour or so crying in his cell should make it easier. Take me for a decent cup of coffee and I'll share the rest with you."

The small coffee shop she had led them to was just a few doors down from the station; they settled themselves at a table in the far corner just as a jovial looking man in his late 50's appeared and took their order.

"So how did you end up here? You don't sound local to these parts."

"Did they teach you how to notice things like that at spy school?!" she smiled at him to take the edge of her words.

"Yes, it was all part of the lesson on how to talk to a beautiful woman. Naturally, I didn't need much help in that department."

"I bet."

"How long have you been in the job then?"

"Long enough." Her smile was hidden by the rim of her coffee cup but he knew it was there all the same.

He gave a brief laugh "That's the kind of annoying answer I give."

"Perhaps you've met your match Mr Carter."

He liked this woman, but he wasn't about to show it. "What about the other kid? Tell me about him."

"Ah well, he's slightly more interesting. Bit of a Welsh fire cracker by all accounts and tried to fight his way out of cuffs. He got very upset after receiving a face full of CS spray; apparently no-one mentioned that the effects get worse if you rub your eyes. Must have been an oversight..." she stirred her coffee "Anyway, once he'd stopped throwing his tantrum he shut up. Completely. Hasn't said a word since."

"Nothing at all?"

She shook her head "Not a dicky bird. Wouldn't even answer the standard custody questions so some lucky baby bobby has to keep him under constant supervision."

"So, he's the one we need to be talking to then. Who is he?"

"Ryan Armstrong. 23 yrs old. Recently moved out of home to one of the new flats on the edge of town, which for someone who's unemployed is pretty good going. The landlord says he's up to date on the rent too. Like I said before he doesn't have form for anything major, certainly not anything that would let him live the lifestyle he is. This is the first time he's been in trouble for almost two years."

"I want to see his flat, preferably before we question him. What's the address?" He was already half way out of his seat and Beth had to grab his wrist to stop him in his tracks.

"Easy tiger, I'm not finished yet." He noted the slight edge her voice held but chose to ignore it.

"You can tell me on the way."

"Ever heard of a pesky thing called the law? You can't just go barging in there without a warrant Adam. I don't care how you do it in London, but here, when I'm in charge, we do it by the book."

He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to tell her it was all their fault that the first enquiry had gone pear shaped. Instead he ground out "Fine. How long will it take to get one?"

She took a final drink of her coffee, threw some money on the table and stood up. "In all honesty it can take a while..."she smiled at him as he silently fumed, then pulled a piece of paper from her coat pocket "but what's to say that I don't already have one?"

Beth shoved the form against his chest, giving him no choice but to grab hold of it as she walked past him and out into the fresh air, leaving him looking bewildered and feeling stupid.

---

Adam was still smarting from earlier as they drove through the city towards the new block of flats that Ryan Armstrong lived in.

"We're not all backwards Adam and despite what you may think about Police Officers we do know how to conduct investigations."

"I never said you didn't." He stated quietly.

"Your take charge attitude did. I'm not new to this game, I've got a lot of experience and even the greenest DC would have known to organise warrants for searches to be done. You have to trust that I know what I'm doing." She glanced over at him.

"Ok, point taken." He decided to change the subject "Have you had any luck accessing his bank details yet?"

"No, I was hoping that maybe someone from your end would be able to take a look."

Accepting it for the olive branch that it was Adam reached for his phone and hit speed dial. "Hi, it's me. Can you get Malcolm to go through Ryan Armstrong's bank accounts; he has a very nice flat and no way of paying for it as far as we can see. Also, check out the landlord, just in case."

"Ok, any particular reason?"

"Just a hunch. Anything so far?"

"Not yet, I'll work on the landlord angle and see if I can come up with anything."

"Great, thanks Ruth."

He ended the call just as they pulled up in front of the building. Wordlessly they climbed out of the car and made their way inside. The flat was on the third floor and as they reached his door, he wondered why she was hesitating.

"Aren't we going in?"

"Slight set back. I don't have the keys with me..." she had the good grace to blush as she carried on "do you think you can break in?"

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**Please review - Thank you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Cheers for the beta Em x

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"Found anything?" Beth asked, as she poked her head around the bedroom door.

"Only his stash of porn," he muttered, with disinterest, as he restacked the pile of magazines. "Just run of the mill stuff, nothing extraordinary."

"What do you class as extraordinary?" she teased and was pleasantly surprised to catch him off guard with the question. He was saved from answering when her phone rang.

Adam carried on his search of the unremarkable bedroom as Beth finished her phone call. Despite not being able to hear what was said, he could tell from her expression that it was good news. She flipped her phone shut and smiled sweetly.

"Our, Mr Armstrong has a girlfriend."

"Is she blind or just desperate?" he mused, waiting for her to tell him more. The girlfriend was obviously important since he could tell Beth was having a hard time concealing her excitement.

She ignored his comment. "We've just been through his telephone records and found that theirs is a long distance relationship. It must be pretty serious for the amount of calls to and from this number. Our boys traced the address to a family in Boston, in the good old US of A. Where, it just so happens, that Stacey Fletcher is residing whilst on her student exchange."

"Ah, young love."

"We're liaising with the FBI to get someone from their local bureau to go and take her in for questioning. It shouldn't take long until she's in custody and with any luck her first phone call will be to Cayden Fletcher that should rattle his cage a bit."

"I like your thinking. How about we go and let Armstrong in on the good news?"

"I thought you'd never ask!"

---

Back on The Grid, things the atmosphere was tense: Juliet, The DG and the Home Secretary had all contacted Harry and reminded him in no uncertain terms how much rested on this investigation. His mood was not improved when his counter part from Special Branch paid an unannounced visit.

"Of course we will share any information relevant to the investigation Robert, but I'm not having people seconded here."

"As I already pointed out to Juliet, and she agreed..."

"I don't care if God himself agreed; we don't have time to mess about with clearance issues. As I understand it, Adam and DCI Matthews are working together on this one and any information pertinent to this operation can be divulged to them." His phone rang and he didn't hesitate to answer it, listening intently before placing his hand over the receiver and addressing the other man. "I have to take this, I'll be sure to have someone ring your office with regular updates."

Knowing he had lost, Robert gave a curt nod and left.

"Harry, did you hear what I said?" There was a slightly exasperated edge to Ruth's voice as she tried to get his attention again.

"Wait until that man has left The Grid then bring everything you have on this to me."

"Please," she admonished, staring straight at him through the glass wall of his office.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Please, Ruth."

Two minutes later she was in his office, covering his desk in reams of paper as she rattled of an explanation at top speed.

"You'll have to say that again Ruth, preferably with a sentence structure I can follow or at least a pause for breath!"

A light blush stained her cheeks and he smiled at the sight of it. "Sorry. I was saying that Adam asked me to check out the landlord for Ryan Armstrong's flat and I think I've found our link." She moved behind him, leant over his shoulder and tapped a document to his left. "Ryan's flat is owned by a man called Peter Wade. I did the usual routine checks and found that a payment is regularly made to his business account by a firm of solicitors – Beaumont and Hobbs Ltd. I knew the name rang a bell and I've been wracking my brain trying to think where I knew it from."

"I take it, from the lovely smile on your face, that you've remembered?"

She nodded. "It's the same firm of solicitors that represented Mason Griffiths."

"Interesting. Possibly coincidental but..."

"It's not. I checked into a few things and I'm pretty sure I know exactly what's going on. I'm just waiting for confirmation on something but I know I'm right. I can feel it."

"Are you going to tell me then?" he asked, impatiently.

"Ryan Armstrong is Mason Griffiths's son."

She enjoyed the look of surprise that appeared on his face. "His son?! Are you sure?"

"Yes. Well, I will be when I get some documents faxed through but on the surface of things I'm 99 certain."

"How did this get missed until now?" It wasn't a criticism of her, more of other people that had looked at the same information she had access to and missed it.

"From what I can tell, Ryan's mother married someone else when he was about 18 months old and Ryan was adopted by Jon Armstrong. I'm speculating now, but I doubt he knew who his biological father was until he was in his teens."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's about the time he first got arrested. Teen angst combined with finding out something like that can often lead to rebellion."

Harry's thoughts involuntarily strayed to his own son and he realised there was a truth to her words. There was sadness in his eyes, which lifted slightly when she wordlessly bent down and placed a soft, loving kiss on his cheek. Before he could say anything to her, they were interrupted by Jo.

"Ruth, there's a fax for you."

"Oh, good." She rushed over to the petite blonde and took the fax from her, scanning it quickly before looking up and nodding at Harry. "I think we need to ring Adam."

---

Adam and Beth had made it back to the station in record time; they used the journey to strategise their interview plan until they were both relatively happy with how they were going to use the information regarding Stacey Fletcher. As they made their way to the custody area, Adam's phone rang and they stopped in the cell yard for him to take the call.

"Adam, it's Ruth. I've found you a definite link."

"We know about the girlfriend, Ruth, it's ok. We're just about to question him now."

"Girlfriend? Adam that's not what I'm talking about..." he listened intently as she went on to explain exactly what she had found.

He flashed a smile at Beth, knowing that their job was about to get so much easier. "Ruth, you're as intelligent as you are beautiful and I could kiss you right now!"

His smile faltered slightly when he heard Harry's unamused voice through the phone. "Yes, thank you Mr Carter. Don't you have a prisoner to go and interrogate?"

Harry ended the call, and was decidedly miffed as he saw the smile on Ruth's face moments before she disappeared back to her desk. Whether he was more upset that Adam had made the comment in the first place, or that she had liked it so much, he didn't know.

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**Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**After chatting to a couple of people I realise that one or two of you might have got a little lost with where this fic is headed...all I can say is, please keep reading and reviewing it will all become clear soon enough. **

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It hadn't taken long for Ryan Armstrong to buckle under the pressure of being questioned relentlessly for hours on end. His relationship with Stacey Fletcher had been a definite trump card and the minute she was threatened he had been singing like the proverbial canary. In the days that followed his confession, a number of associates of his were rounded up for a variety of offences and, for once, the Chief Constable had been happy to sign off on the overtime for his officers and not worry about the budget.

At three am on the second day following the arrest, Beth was hidden away in her office frantically trying to complete all the necessary paperwork before charges were brought, when Adam wandered in with two cups of coffee and a cheeky smile.

"Time for a break?"

"I thought you'd have legged it back to London by now." There was a hint of surprise in her voice but she looked pleased to see him all the same.

"I'm heading back tomorrow." He sat down and passed her a steaming cup. "Unless you need me to help out with anything?"

She leaned back in her chair and sipped her drink. "Everything's under control. Armstrong and Johnson will be charged in the morning along with a few of their compatriots. I've even managed to get the Chief to sign off on pulling Mason Griffiths in for Perverting the course of justice and wasting police time." She smiled enigmatically at him across the desk. "They won't stick and CPS wouldn't touch it with a barge pole but hopefully it'll ruin his day."

Adam laughed. "I could do with someone like you on my team."

"Is that a job offer?"

"It might be."

"Once a plod, always a plod, I'm afraid." He smiled at her warmly and acknowledged to himself that he'd known she would refuse the offer anyway. "You could always stick around for a couple of days and let me show you the sights."

---

The Grid was steadily emptying as lunch time approached and people took advantage of Harry's offer of an early finish as soon as all the paperwork for the operation was done. The team had worked long and hard over the last few days and he felt it was only right to reward them with a free afternoon. He knew, however, that at least one employee would still be at her desk and smiled to himself as he spotted her steadfastly typing away.

"I've given everyone the afternoon off, Ruth, including you."

She looked up to see him perch casually on the front of her desk. "I know, but what fun is that when my husband has to stay?"

Harry smiled at her affectionately. "I'm only staying for the JIC meeting and then I intend to come home and spend some time with you and Alfie."

"Oh that sounds nice. What are we doing?"

"I hadn't planned that far ahead," he admitted sheepishly.

"We can always let Alfie decide?"

"Good idea." He leant forward and brushed a soft kiss across her mouth. "You should go and enjoy the afternoon first though."

She reached out and grasped his tie, pulling him back towards her and then kissing him soundly. She was incredibly proud to see his slightly dazed expression as she released him from their clinch.

"What was that for?"

"For being you."

---

Ruth had left the Grid soon after and indulged herself with a light lunch and some shopping before it was time to go and collect Alfie from school. Despite a fraught ten minutes trying to park close to the school and narrowly avoiding having an argument with someone who obviously didn't think the rules of the road applied to them when they double parked, Ruth had to admit that she was rather enjoying the fact that she was here on time to pick him up. She headed towards the school and joined the throng of parents that were gathering outside, waiting for their children to appear in the playground. She waited until the bell had sounded and the first eager children had run out of the doors before crossing the playground and heading inside.

"Auntie Ruth!" Alfie spotted her instantly and rushed across the room to give her a hug.

Chuckling, she bent down and scooped him up. "Hello you. Shall we get your things?"

He nodded and then proceeded to chatter excitedly as she picked her way carefully across the classroom to the desk where he had been sat minutes earlier. Putting him down, she picked his coat up and helped him put it on.

"How about we go for an ice cream before Uncle Harry finishes work?" She laughed at his eager nod. "Let's find Emma first though and say thank you to her for looking after you."

They found the young teaching assistant across the room, stacking building blocks back into place.

"Hi, Emma."

"Oh hi! How're you?"

"Good thanks. I just wanted to come and say thank you for looking after Alfie the last couple of days. Harry and I really appreciate it."

She saw the young woman blush as she mumbled that it was no problem.

"Well, you really did help us out and since Alfie and I are going for ice cream I thought we might treat you to one?"

"Oh t-there's no need..." Emma trailed off as Alfie grabbed her hand, told her he was having chocolate ice cream and asked her what flavour was her favourite. "Erm, mint-choc chip."

There was no time for her to protest again since the little boy, eager to have ice cream, started leading her out of the classroom.

"Alfie! It's not nice to drag people around!" Ruth admonished the little boy and then felt her heart melt at the sheepish expression on his face. She beckoned him back over to her and rolled her eyes at Emma. "Sorry, I think he's just a bit over excited. God help me with the sugar high afterwards!"

The younger woman laughed softly, "It's ok. I can't go for ice cream but I do appreciate the offer."

"Ah yes, I guess there are rules."

"Yeah but don't worry about it. I, uh, I could do with having a quick word with you though, if you have a few minutes?"

Ruth nodded and tried not to look too concerned as she bent down and asked Alfie to go and fetch the rest of his belongings. She watched the little boy wander off across the room before returning her attention to the teaching assistant, who gestured to the chairs nearby.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not, wrong as such. We, uh, just thought we should mention that this week we've been focusing on family life, everyone's roles etc with a view to a few of the Fathers coming in next week to talk about their jobs."

"Oh." Ruth smiled grimly as she realised where this conversation was heading.

"He's been fine for the most part, a little bit quiet but he joined in with the drawing and a few other things. He told the rest of the class that his Daddy didn't have a job because he was dead and had gone to heaven. He seems to be coping quite well but we thought it was best you knew what was going on and that next week might be upsetting to him."

"Thanks for letting me know." She turned and saw that the little boy had found a truck to occupy himself with; her heart ached as she watched him. "I wish there was something I could do to make it better for him. I wonder..."

"What?"

"No it doesn't matter, just a thought that popped into my head. It's probably better left there!"

"If you're sure?"

"Well, ok. Does it have to be a Father would an Uncle do instead?"

Emma smiled and tried not to get too excited at the prospect of meeting the man with the wonderful voice. "I'm sure that would be fine. I'll clarify it with Miss Stevens if you like?"

Ruth smiled and nodded her thanks, before getting up to leave.

"What does your husband do by the way?"

The question caught her slightly off guard and so she answered with the first thing that popped into her head. It was only as she and Alfie walked out into the late afternoon sunshine that she realised how much Harry was going to kill her.

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**Oh dear, what has she said?! Leave me a review and I'll post the next chapter!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Last update from me for a while but I will get back to it as soon as I can figure out how to look after a baby and have time to write!**

**Thanks for the beta Em.**

**Happy belated Birthday to Nat.**

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Harry knew his wife well enough to know that she was trying to butter him up. His suspicions had first been aroused when he returned home from work to find her cooking; she never tried anything more exotic than pasta if he wasn't in the kitchen with her to lend a helping hand and to watch for signs of things burning, but there she was making his favourite meal. She had been attentive to him all evening, certainly not something he was going to complain about, so he kept his suspicions to himself. It was when she didn't make any form of protest, though, as he headed over to the drinks cabinet to refill his glass for the third time, that he really knew something wasn't right. They had had more than one discussion about the amount of whisky that was acceptable for a man with high blood pressure to drink.

"Alright I'll bite. What's wrong?"

He returned to the couch, his glass still empty.

"Wrong? Nothing?"

"I thought we didn't lie to each other."

She flushed at his words. "I'm not lying to you Harry. There isn't anything wrong. Not really. Alfie has been a bit upset at school. Emma told me today that this week they have been doing 'My Daddy is...' which is where they all say what job their Dad does. Anyway, apparently Alfie stood up and said 'My Daddy is dead' quite calmly and sat back down again. She thinks he was fine at first but he got very quiet and withdrawn later on after he'd listened to all the others."

"Poor kid," he whispered and pulled Ruth towards him. She cuddled close to him, feeling his arms tighten around her as she rested her head against his chest. "What can we do?"

"I'm glad you asked that..." She fiddled nervously with the buttons of his shirt. "They're having an open day sort of thing on Friday, where all the fathers are coming to tell the little ones what they do for a living etc..."

"Ruth...tell me you didn't..."

"I, um, I may have volunteered you to go." She steeled herself to tell him the rest. "I-I didn't know what to say for your profession and then it just popped into my head and I said it without thinking a-and once I'd said it there was no turning back."

Very quietly and calmly, he asked her what she had said that was so bad.

She moved to sit back up so that she could look at him. Chewing her lip, nervously, she answered in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "I said you were a fireman."

She waited for the explosion but it never came. There was a look of disbelief etched across his features but no more than that. Deciding not to push her luck, Ruth remained quiet and let him process the information.

"Fine, I'll do it," he sighed, defeated, "but only because it'll be good for Alfie. I'm not doing this to feed your obsession with uniforms!"

"Thank you." She leant in to him and rewarded him with a lingering kiss. "For your information, Harry, the only thing I'm obsessed about is you. I'd much rather have you _out_ of your clothes than in them."



Knowing an invitation when he heard one, Harry was quick to lead a willing Ruth upstairs. He waited until they were safely in the confines of their own room before pulling her roughly towards him and covering her lips with his own. He possessed her mouth with fierce passion, sweeping his tongue inside to tangle excitingly with hers.

Her fingers wound themselves in to his soft hair, as she kissed him back just as intently. He walked her backwards towards the large, welcoming bed, following her body down as the backs of her knees hit the mattress and buckled from under her.

His laugh was swallowed by her mouth as he felt her hands begin to tug his shirt from the waist of his trousers, her soft hands gliding under the cotton and onto the warmth of his strong back as she freed the material. She let out a sudden shriek as he rolled them both over unexpectedly, him on his back and her pressed snugly against his front thanks to his arms encircling her. She eyed him warily and wondered what he was up to as he moved his arms away from her and folded them behind his head, giving her a self-satisfied smile as he did so.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Since you seem so determined to get me out of my clothes I thought I'd best just lie here and let you get on with it!"

Giggling lightly she kissed him softly, nipping at his bottom lips as she pulled away. "My pleasure."

She made light work of unbuttoning his shirt, pulling the sides further apart so she could smooth her palms down his broad chest, her hands coming to rest on his belt buckle.

The sound of the door opening caused them both to freeze, before Ruth scrambled off of Harry and over to where Alfie now stood, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"I need a drink."

Harry let his head sink back into the pillows as Ruth led the small boy out of the room and in search of a glass of water. He waited, less than patiently, in their bed, having rolled under the covers when it got a little cold after he stripped to just his underwear. What was taking her so long, he didn't know, but he hoped that Alfie was sound asleep by the time she got back because he had every intention of picking back up from where they left off.

She wandered back in a few minutes later and had to try not to laugh at the pout that was clearly visible on Harry's face as he asked what had taken her so long.

"We were checking for monsters!"

"Ah yes, I'd forgotten all these wonderful things about living with children." He pulled back the duvet and patted the empty space next to him. "It will be nice when it's back to just the two of us again."

She settled beside him, turning on her side to face him as he enclosed the covers around her and pulled her closer. "So now wouldn't be the best time to tell you that I'm pregnant then?!"

"Are you? Are you serious?!"

"Yes. I was going to wait to tell you until I got it confirmed by the doctors but now seemed like a good time!"

"That's brilliant news." He leant in and kissed her tenderly. "I'm a little shocked as to how it happened, well not _how_ it happened, I know that bit but you know..."



She laughed as he struggled to say what he meant, she stroked the side of his face and whispered, "You're rambling, Harry."

Her lips were pressed firmly against his before he had a chance to reply and he happily succumbed to her loving kiss.

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**Please leave a review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**After quite a few prods from a few of you regarding this fic I have finally spent some time on it and updated. If, like me, you had forgotten about it completely then I'd probably recommend re-reading it all before reading this bit. I've got quite a bit of this written now and the plot will hopefully become a lot clearer by the next chapter. **

**Thanks to Em for the beta.**

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The wolf whistle that greeted Harry as he stepped out of his office, kitted out as a fireman, was met with a glare. It was bad enough to have to dress like this in the first place but it was even worse that he'd had to stay on the Grid until the last minute thanks to an urgent conference call.

"Do you want to be working night shifts for the foreseeable future Mr Younis?" he growled, as he strode across the Grid. "Where's Ruth?"

"She got called down to the Registry," Adam answered.

"Right, well, I'll be back by lunchtime," he said, as he stuffed the yellow fireman's helmet under his arm and left abruptly.

The assembled Spooks watched him in wonder all silently wondering how Ruth had managed to get him to agree to it in the first place. "Is it me, or is he the grumpiest fireman you've ever seen?" Zaf asked, making Adam and Malcolm laugh.

"I don't know," Jo said, thoughtfully, "I think he looks pretty good in that uniform."

Zaf stared at her incredulously for a second and then turned to the men in the group. "What is it about women and firemen!?"

"Probably the same thing as you and police women, Zaf," answered Jo without missing a beat.

"She's got you there mate," Adam laughed and clapped a hand on Zaf's back.

---

"You really didn't have to go to so much trouble," the young teaching assistant said, rather shyly, as she ushered the last of the children back inside the classroom.

Harry gave her a winning smile. "It was no trouble," he lied, effortlessly. It had, in actual fact, been slightly tricky to organise borrowing a fire truck for part of the morning, but he'd called one or two favours in and had succeeded in the end. The arrival of the truck had been a stroke of genius as it had distracted Alfie and his classmates from asking too many questions and meant that all he needed to do was let them take turns in climbing inside and switching the sirens on and off. He'd actually enjoyed the morning more than he had thought he would, not that he'd be admitting that to Ruth any time soon.

"Well, we really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. It was nice to finally meet you."

Harry was surprised to see her blush deeply. "You too," she garbled, fiddling with the ring on her finger and avoiding his eye.

Amused and flattered at the effect he seemed to be having on the young woman, he bid her goodbye and headed home to get changed, deciding that it was better to leave the uniform there and return to work dressed normally. Zaf didn't need any more ammunition.

---

In another part of London, five men sat in a darkened room and waited as a sixth man poured over blue prints that were spread across the only table in the room.

Eventually, the middle aged man looked up and surveyed the others. "I think we're ready."

There was a general murmur of approval as a frisson of excitement went around the table.

"When do we strike?" asked the youngest of the group as he puffed heavily on a cigarette.

"Soon. Very soon," the group leader answered, with a smile. "This will be one lesson they won't forget in a hurry."

---

"How did it go?" Ruth asked, as she finally managed to get a spare minute to enter his office that afternoon.

"Fine," he told her, as he gave her a welcoming smile.

"I can't believe I missed seeing you before you went."

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I thought you weren't interested in the uniform," he teased.

She flushed a little and stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, I'm reliably informed that you looked good in it and I wanted to see for myself."

"Who said that?"

"Jo," she replied, "and you needn't look so smug about it!"

He chuckled and put his hands up in surrender. "I'm not, it just seems that was a popular thought today." She gave him an odd look and he explained. "Alfie's teacher and teaching assistant seemed to like me too." He had a feeling that he was digging himself a rather large hole and, from the look on her face, she wasn't overly impressed. "Obviously it was more the uniform they liked."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You weren't meant to go there and flirt!"

He knew she was teasing but felt the need to reassure her anyway. "I didn't flirt once. The only person I want to flirt with is you, Ruth."

She smiled and went to perch on the edge of his desk. "Good job too," she murmured before she leant across and brushed a soft kiss against his mouth.

"Besides which, it's very hard to flirt with someone when it turns out that they're your bosses daughter!"

She looked confused for a moment. "Bosses daughter? Emma? Emma is the DG's daughter?"

"Yes. I recognised her from a picture in his office he showed me a while ago."

"Small world."

---

Ruth had collected Alfie from school that afternoon and listened patiently as he'd recounted the morning's events to her over and over again. She was rather relieved when Harry came home and Alfie demanded that he be the one to put him to bed. She headed for the kitchen as Harry scooped the little boy up and carried him up the stairs.

She was busily preparing dinner as she heard him walk back downstairs and wondered, idly, if he had taken so long because he'd been bombarded by questions from Alfie.

"He's asleep," he murmured, capturing her attention.

Her eyes widened in shock as she turned to face him and saw him stood in the doorway; whatever she had been about to say was completely forgotten about as she took in the sight of him, silhouetted by the hallway light.

"H-Harry." She squeaked and then was lost for words again as he took a slow step towards her, a wolfish grin spreading across his face and a look in his eyes that she knew meant she was in trouble.

"That's Fire Fighter Harry to you," he teased, as he reached her. "Do you need rescuing?"

"Desperately," she whispered before biting her lip, unable to believe how good he looked, standing there dressed in the full uniform. In the next instant, she was cradled in his arms as he effortlessly carried her out of the kitchen.

"They were right," she whispered as he placed her down in their bedroom, "you do look good in it."

He smiled and cupped her cheek with his large, warm hand. "Thank you."

"I think it's more the man than the uniform that does it for me, though, Harry."

He laughed and pulled her against him. "Glad to hear it," he whispered seconds before his lips collided with hers.

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**Thoughts on this fic are appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to all those who reviewed for sticking with this and encouraging me to post more!**

**Cheers pea :)**

**Note: Now edited to the right version which includes names of things! **

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"Harry!" she shouted as he headed for the front door.

"Yes?"

"Don't forget that I'll be late this morning. I'm taking Alfie to the dentists."

"Ok," he shouted back, shaking his head that they were shouting across the house. He walked back to the kitchen where Ruth was attempting to get Alfie to eat porridge rather than sugar puffs and placed a kiss on her head. "I'm going now, sweetheart. I'll see you later on."

Ruth looked round and gave him a smile. "Ok, love you."

"Love you too," he answered and then looked across at Alfie. "Bye Alfie, be good for Aunt Ruth."

"I will!"

"Have the porridge then," he said, with a wink and laughed as the little boy nodded eagerly at him. In the few days that had passed since Harry had given his little talk at Alfie's school, the young boy had idolised Harry even more than before and obeyed his every word, much to Ruth's general annoyance.

"Bye then," he said, again, and whistled to himself all the way out of the front door. He was going to miss Alfie when his Mum collected him in a few days. Life with a young child around was never dull and he loved seeing how Ruth interacted with her young Godson. She was going to make a wonderful mother to their child. He pictured her with the baby and smiled to himself. Life was good.

---

"Adam Carter." The blonde Spook answered his phone and was surprised to hear a familiar voice at the other end of the line.

"Adam. It's Beth."

"Hi," he said, bemused as to why she was ringing him at work. Since he'd left Wales a couple of weeks before they had spoken quite a bit but always away from work. "Everything ok?"

"Not really. Listen, I'm on my way to London to see you. I'll be there in an hour."

"What's going on?"

"I'll explain properly when I get there but I think Mason Griffiths is planning something on your patch."

"Here?"

"Yes, the information is sketchy but there's enough of it to make me worry."

If it was enough to make her worry and suddenly drive to London then it was enough to put him on edge. "I'll alert my team. Put your foot down."

---

"Come on Alfie, don't dawdle please," Ruth said as they walked along the path and towards his school. She had already taken enough liberties by treating him to a stop in the park on their back from the dentists; Harry would have an apoplexy if he found out.

Alfie quickened his pace and took her hand as he caught up to her. "Do I really have to go today?"

"Yes and I have to get to work, too, so we need to hurry."

"Can't we go see Uncle Harry instead?"

"No," she said firmly and then felt guilty as he saddened. "He'll be home earlier tonight though."

"Ok," he said, happily, and they walked through the gates together.

---

"Everyone, this is DCI Beth Matthews from South Wales Police. She was my liaison for the Mason Griffiths/ Ryan Armstrong affair and now she has some information that concerns us."

Beth gave a short nod of thanks to Adam for the introduction and addressed the team. "We were keeping tabs on Mason Griffiths and a few other people of interest locally until Griffiths filed a harassment suit against us and we had to stand down. Up until then he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary anyway, and the Chief Constable wanted to avoid another PR battle."

"But now something has come up," Harry stated, quietly.

"Yes. We weren't watching him but that didn't mean we couldn't lean on one or two of his associates and find out what, if anything, he was up to." A brief smile flickered at the corners of Harry's mouth. He could see why Adam liked this woman. "A local low life and general dogsbody to anyone who'll pay him told my officers that he'd acquired blue prints of a building in London for Griffiths and that he was involved in the early stages of a plan to carry out an attack on the building."

"What was the target?"

"A school."

"A school?"

"Yes."

"Do we know when?"

"This is where the information gets sketchy. Our informant says it was supposed to happen this week but he wasn't involved in the final stages so doesn't know which date or time they have chosen."

"How reliable is he?" Adam asked.

"Everything he's told us regarding other people has checked out so far and he's far too interested in self preservation to piss me off with misdirection."

"Why is he just volunteering this information?" asked Jo.

"A combination of being bitter about not making the final cut and having enough of a conscience to feel guilty about involving children."

"I want everyone working on this as of now," Harry ordered, "red flash Ruth and get her on the Grid. Can you stay and work with us for a few days?"

"Of course," Beth agreed and couldn't help but notice the pleased look on Adam's face.

"Good. Adam will help you get settled and then we'll need to talk to your informant."

---

"Morning," Ruth greeted Emma as she appeared in the cloakroom where Alfie was hanging his coat up.

"Morning Ruth, morning Alfie," Emma smiled.

"I got a sticker," Alfie said proudly as he pointed to the colourful sticker on his jumper.

"What's it for?"

"For having clean teeth," he said and then gave her a very toothy grin so she could see for herself.

She laughed and ushered him into the classroom where the rest of the children were. "See you later," she called over her shoulder.

"Bye," Ruth replied, turning round only to stop suddenly in her tracks. She watched in horror as three armed men slipped inside the front entrance and walked along the corridor. "Emma," she said, seriously and the young brunette stopped in her tracks and turned to see what was wrong. "Do you have a panic button?"

"What?"

Ruth tiptoed to the cloakroom door and eased it shut gently. "There are 3 armed men in the corridor. I know who you are so if your Dad gave you a panic button, now is the time to press it."

Emma's eyes widened in shock and panic but she nodded and fumbled in her pocket and pulled out an innocent looking lipbalm. She quickly twisted the cap to the left and went to replace it in her pocket but Ruth held out her hand instead.

"Give it to me."

"But-" the younger woman protested.

"Don't argue. I need to keep you safe."

Reluctantly she handed the small tube over and Rut stashed it in her handbag. "Now what?"

"We wait for the cavalry to arrive."

---

"Harry!" Malcolm's shout across the Grid had everyone, including the Section Head, looking at him. "We've just received a distress signal from a panic button allocated to the DG."

Harry looked at him sharply. "Is it the DG's or his daughters?"

"His daughters."

"Shit, she's the target. It's The Goodram Grant School. She's Alfie's teaching assistant." There was a flurry of activity as people scrambled about either for information or for jackets and car keys but Harry was oblivious to it as his eyes settled on Ruth's desk and a terrifying thought entered his head. "Ruth's there."

* * *

**More soon.**


End file.
